Kerch: ferry crossing

Kerch is a unique city located on the East of the Crimean peninsula. First of all, the uniqueness is due to the centuries-old history of the city, which dates back to the prehistoric period. Kerch was part of several empires that ruled at different times on the territory of the peninsula. Each of these empires has left its mark on the architecture of the buildings that are located on the territory of the whole Crimea.

Kerch, first of all, attracts tourists with its unique geographical location: the sea coast of the city is washed by two seas - Azov and Black. But to get to the city, you need to cross the Kerch Strait. The bridge between the mainland of Russia and the peninsula Crimea has not yet been built. For this purpose, a ferry crossing.

Russia in the near future, in connection with the adoption of the Crimea in its composition, is preparing plans for the construction of an automobile and railway bridge that will connect the Krasnodar Territory and the city of Kerch. Ferry crossing through the Kerch Strait will become, more likely, entertainment for tourists.

Kerch: ferry, background of creation

The first mention of the creation of the Kerch port dates back to the end of the 18th century, when Empress Catherine II promised the neighboring Greeks that a "free and free port" would be organized on the territory of Kerch. But the promise was already fulfilled by another Russian emperor Alexander I, who signed the decree of 1821 on the creation of the port. Since that moment the port in the city of Kerch, the ferry crossing has its origin.

The first bridge between the mainland and the peninsula was built during the Great Patriotic War. The construction of the bridge was made from building materials that were abandoned by the retreating Germans, who had previously attempted to build a ferry to the Taman Peninsula. But this bridge has served no more than a year. Already in early 1945, he received damage from the movement of ice from the Sea of Azov. Then again, their duties to send people from the peninsula to the mainland of the RSFSR, began to perform ferry crossing through Kerch.

Today, on the ferries, thousands of people and hundreds of cars are transported from the mainland of Russia from the port of Kavkaz to the port of Crimea in the city of Kerch. The ferry between the ports, its length is about 5 kilometers, and the journey takes about half an hour.

Functioning of the railway ferry crossing

Until 1990, on the ferries transported not only passengers and vehicles, but also mobile railway loaded vehicles. For these purposes in 1951 the first series of vessels "Zapolyarny" and "Nadym" was built, later ships were commissioned "Chulym" and "Severny". These vessels were able to simultaneously transport 32 biaxial loaded wagons from the mainland to the peninsula in Kerch. The crossing, unfortunately, did not last long.

Already in the late 80-ies of the 20th century, part of the constructed railway ferries began to fail. After the collapse of the USSR, funding for the maintenance of operating ferries and construction of new ones was completely discontinued. There were attempts to restore the railway ferry crossing. To this end, in 2002, a ferry under the same name "Sakhalin-6" arrived to the port of Kerch from the Sakhalin peninsula. The crossing for the railroad train was never restored. The reason for this was that the technical specialists did not fully calculate the ship's subsidence. It gave a draft in the water to a depth of 4 meters, and along with the cargo sank to a depth of 9 meters. With such characteristics, the vessel could not work in the Kerch Strait. The movement of rail ferries was restored only in 2004

Ferry service for cars

The first ferry "Kerch-1" for transportation of vehicles began its work in the Kerch Strait in 1975. It was built at the Riga Shipyard. Later, at the same plant, the second ferry "Kerch-2" was built.

The construction of such ferries, first of all, was planned as icebreaking vessels. Thus, the winter navigation of ships' traffic was simplified. One of the ferries, together with the cargo, cars and passengers, acted as an icebreaker, in turn, the second ferry could serve as a conductor for cargo ships navigating the strait of the strait. All ferries eventually also required repair work, restoration, but due to lack of financing, no action was taken, and the last of the surviving "Kerch-1" was disposed of in 2012.

Crossing for road and rail transport in the Kerch Strait today

Due to the condition of the entire fleet of ships that had deteriorated and subsequently been disposed of, several ferries were repaired and purchased to support the movement of cargo:

For the transfer of vehicles

• An ANT-2 ferry was purchased, which can accommodate up to 80 vehicles at the same time.
• Ferries "Yeisk" and "Kerch-2" have been restored and are working.

For railway transportation

• One of the Russian companies for the provision of rail transportation was the launch of ferries "Petrovsk" and "Annenkov", which operate between the ports of the Caucasus and Crimea.
• "Slav" and "Avangard" - these two ferries were put on flights for the delivery of liquefied gas to the territory of Bulgaria.

Passenger transportation along the Kerch Strait

Among the ferry traffic carried through the Kerch Strait, the first place falls on passenger flights. The number of passengers crossing the strait in the summer season increases tens of times. First of all, due to the mass of tourists who are seeking to get to the resorts of the Crimea from the territory of the Russian Federation .

For this purpose the ferry crossing "Kerch-Kavkaz" carries daily transportation of passengers without taking into account holidays and days off. The interval of traffic of passenger ships is about 30 minutes.

The procedure for the actions of passengers carrying cars in ports on ferry crossings of the Kerch Strait

Like any navigation, the ferry terminal regulates its transportation for passengers.

Many tourists before the journey searched for the information they were interested in, formulating their request succinctly: "Ferry crossing, Russia", in order to learn the requirements and tariffs for ferry crossing in the Kerch Strait.

For those who wish to cross from one port to another, passengers must comply with the following requirements:

1. Lesson of the queue for the ferry. It should be remembered that the queue for the transport of passenger cars and passengers is separate from the queue for freight and public transport.
2. Receipt of a receipt for payment for the transportation of a car from a ferryman. The receipt indicates all the data of the car (vehicle length, data from the technical passport) and all passenger data
3. Payment in the ticket offices of the ports of receipts. Waiting for the car's entrance signal for loading.

You should also know that the length of the vehicle will affect the cost of transportation. Tariffs are established for transportation of three categories of cars on the ferry:

• For cars up to 4,2 meters.
• For cars over 4,2 and less than 5,1 meters.
• If the car has a length exceeding 5.1 meters.